Unraveling
by Altlantica Stitch
Summary: -Better summary- Thrax's chain holds more than memories of victims. It holds memories of its owner, and when Osmosis starts wearing the chain, Frank's body is going to need a serious cool down. Rated T for language and some violence.
1. Heat

So, I watched the movie for the first time in like seven years. WOW. This needs more well-written fanfictions, seriously. So I decided to go ahead and write a...piece of crap first chapter, but hopefully a good story overall. Read and review, if you please!

Disclaimer: Osmosis Jones and its characters belong to WB, not to me. I don't think I could handle owning Thrax, really...the burns would hurt.****

**_Unraveling_**

**Chapter 1: Heat**

"Whew!" Osmosis Jones leaned against the wall of the precinct in relief. "I never thought we'd ditch those reporters."

"You did just save the city," Leah reminded him. "They're going to want to talk to you." Osmosis sighed and nodded.

"I know that." He stood. "Listen, I gotta talk to the chief for a minute." He held up a hand, heading to the Chief's office.

"Jones! Come in, come in." The chief waved him in eagerly. Osmosis smirked slightly, remembering the treatment he had gotten the last time he was in this office. "What'cha need, son?" Osmosis sighed. Here was the hard part.

"Chief, I need a…favor…" he said awkwardly, trying to figure out the best way to word his request.

"Anything for you, Jones," the chief said, smiling. "What do you need?"

"Well…" Osmosis hesitated. "I was just wondering if I could have Thrax's chain. As a reminder, you know?" The chief's smile faltered for a moment, surprised.

"Oh…well, sure. Not a problem. They probably still have it up at the hypothalamus gland; go right ahead." Osmosis smiled.

"Thanks chief." He walked out, back to where Leah and Drix were waiting for him.

"What was that about?" Leah asked curiously.

"It's nothin'," Osmosis shrugged. "I gotta head up to the hypothalamus real quick. You guys just wait for me back home." Leah and Drix exchanged confused looks as Ozzy headed out.

--

"Hey, fellas," Ozzy greeted the scientists working. "The place looks great- good as new." "Oh, Officer Jones!" one of the cells said, surprised. "Do you need something?"

"You guys still have that chain, right?" Ozzy questioned. The scientists looked a bit confused.

"Y-yes sir…why?" one said, frowning slightly.

"Well, I was hoping I could have it. It's kind of important." Ozzy shrugged, trying to sound casual.

"Oh…w-well, sure thing, Officer Jones." The scientist headed to the back, picking up a small, tightly sealed box. He handed it to Ozzy. "It's in still in tact, but we didn't want it to just be lying around…"

"I got it." Ozzy pried the lid off, pulling out the long chain. The little DNA beads from almost two dozen of Thrax's previous victims glowed from within the chain. Ozzy held it tightly. "Thanks." The scientist nodded, returning to the instrument panels. Ozzy turned to go, glancing at the large double helix in the center of the room. That's when he heard the voice.

_Baby, you are looking _fine_ today._ Osmosis turned quickly, eyes wide with surprise. There was no one but him and the scientists in the room. He shook his head. It was only his imagination- Thrax was dead, and he wasn't coming back. He had seen him fall into the alcohol. No one could have survived that. He walked out, absently coiling the chain around his hand.

--

Ozzy sighed, throwing his jacket over the back of a chair as he walked in his apartment. "Welcome home, Oz." Leah smiled, wrapping her arms around him. She kissed him, which he returned with a smile. "You finish whatever it was you needed to do?"

"Yeah, I got it." Ozzy held up the chain, smiling. Leah frowned slightly.

"That's what you went to get?" she said, confused. "Why?" Ozzy shrugged.

"I'm not sure. I'm not really sure. It just feels like it'll be important later," he said, looking at the chain. Leah nodded.

"Alright, if you think so…" She released him. "You look exhausted. You should get some rest."

"Sounds good to me," Ozzy agreed, stifling a yawn. He headed down the hall to the bedroom. He fell onto the bed, asleep almost instantly. The beads in the chain began to pulse with light.

-x-X-x-

The first thought that occurred to him was that he was cold. It wasn't that he wasn't warm…he wasn't burning anymore. The alcohol. He had been dropped in alcohol, and had been burning. The virus sat up, looking around at unfamiliar surroundings. He had to be dead. That was the only explanation. He stood, frowning at the small, cluttered room. He walked over to the single small window, looking out at the dark city. His yellow eyes widened in surprise. He was in the City of Frank- but how? He shook his head. That didn't matter now. All that mattered was getting back what was his. He wanted his chain back.

"Jones…" Thrax hissed the name, turning away from the window. He turned on his heel, walking out. The apartment was dark and empty, obviously belonging to a bachelor from the state it was in. Here and there were a few clean spots, most likely a roommate or a girlfriend. Thrax ignored most of it, heading straight for the door. He shoved it open carelessly, heading outside.

"Now…where to look…" he said under his breath.

Flu shot… Some small voice in the back of his head spoke. Thrax frowned, confused by this. What did he care about some flu shot? Still, the small voice pestered him, that that flu shot was somehow important. That he should be angry about the whole thing. Shaking his head to clear it, Thrax slipped away from the apartment.

--

He found the virus in the slums of the city. Chick pock fighting- how small-time. He needed to get the virus alone. A piece of rubble clattered nearby, and Thrax grinned. He tossed the chunk experimentally in his hand, the long claw on his left hand glowing orange.

"C'mon, step up! Place your bets!" the flu shot called, grabbing money quickly as the chicken pocks wrestled in the center of the circle. Without warning, a piece of red hot rubble flew into the ring, exploding on the ground. The virus stumbled backwards, the other germs scattering in fear. "Man, what the hell?" the virus snapped, irritated. "Who threw that?" he demanded. "Y'all just ruined my business!"

"I didn't feel like waiting in line." The virus's head jerked up, and Thrax's claw was immediately at his throat.

"Th-Th-Thrax!" the virus stammered, eyes wide with fear. "But you-you're supposed to be-!"

"Dead, right?" Thrax curled his lip. "I was just wondering who was it that told Jones about the meeting at the Zit?" His claw hovered inches from the other virus's throat.

"I…uh…I mean, I didn't-" His stammering abruptly turned to a scream of agony. Thrax turned away from the bubbling corpse, disgusted. He looked up, frowning. Frank would be waking up soon. He needed a place to hide out, and fast- the last thing he needed was the Immunities catching on to him after he had just gotten back in. Leaving the flu shot's dissolving corpse behind, he slipped away. He used as many shortcuts and back ways as he could, avoiding anywhere there might be cells that could see him. He slowed to a stop, looking up at the dead end of the alley. He leaned on the wall, a wave of fatigue washing over him. He fell to his knees, one hand on the wall. His claw heated up, melting a large crater in the wall. His hand fell limply to his side, and unconsciousness washed over him.

* * *

Can anyone figure out what's happening just from this chapter? If so, I'm pretty impressed. If not, you'll just have to wait for an update! :3

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	2. Side Effects

Sorry for the delay on the second chapter, I couldn't word the dream sequences properly. But here we go, hopefully it's better than the first chapter, and you might start to realize what's going on. So...yeah.**_

* * *

_**

**_Unraveling_**

**Chapter 2: Side Effects**

The first thing he was aware of was pain. His head was throbbing, and his whole body felt uncomfortably warm. He groaned quietly, not wanting to open his eyes. "Oh thank Frank, he's waking up!"

"Leah…?" Osmosis opened his eyes, wincing at the bright light. Leah and Drix were standing over him, looking worried. "What happened?" Leah sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness you're ok. You had us worried sick!" she said, kissing his forehead.

"I came by after you got back to check on you," Drix explained, "but your door was practically hanging off its hinges, and you weren't anywhere in the apartment."

"We were looking for you all night. We found you passed out in an alleyway near the lymph nodes," Leah added, frowning. "We were so worried…" Ozzy sat up, frowning. He hissed in pain, grabbing his left hand.

"What the-?" His hand was badly burned, some black pieces of hardened goo embedded in it.

"You should have seen it earlier…" Drix said, frowning. "It looked like you had dipped your hand in hot lava." Ozzy winced, picking the chunks out of his hand and flicking them away.

"I don't remember even waking up last night," he said, frowning. "I had some crazy nightmares, though." Leah sighed.

"Me and Drix are going to stay here tonight, to make sure there's nothing wrong with you," she said.

"It could just be sleepwalking, from stress," Drix offered. "But it's best to be on the safe side. You should probably stay here today, too." Ozzy grimaced.

"Alright fine," he said reluctantly. "One day. That's it, alright?" Leah and Drix smiled.

"One day," Leah agreed, kissing his cheek. "Get some rest, ok?"

Ozzy sighed, watching the two walk out. He looked down at the DNA chain still coiled around his hand. He pulled it off, throwing it on the bedside table with a grimace. It had left marks in his hand where they had tightened during the night, but it returned to normal after a moment. He sighed, reluctantly laying down. He must have been more tired than he thought- he was asleep almost instantly.

--

He groaned quietly, pushing himself up. His body ached from the fight, but Thrax didn't seem tired in the least. "You know what, Jones?" Thrax grinned, holding up the chain around his hand. "You want this chain so bad, Big Daddy Thrax is gonna let you have it!" Ozzy winced, waiting for the chain to tighten around his neck.

"Huh…?" Thrax was standing over him, holding the chain absently. Without warning, he jerked Osmosis to his feet, coiling the chain tightly around his hand. Osmosis looked at the chain in surprise, then at Thrax.

"It looks good on you, Jones. You wear it well." Thrax was grinning unpleasantly.

Ozzy looked at the chain in his hand, confused. His hand was starting to darken, turning red, and his fingers were elongating into claws. The dark red color travelled up his arm, his entire body shifting and reshaping. He hesitantly reached up, touching his face. It was sharp and angular…Thrax's face. "It's too bad you came this far from home just to die!" It wasn't Thrax's voice…it was his. Ozzy was staring at his own body, but it was Thrax's grin on his face. Thrax- in his body- lunged at him, shoving him roughly. Ozzy gasped, scrambling for a grip, but there was nothing there. He tried to grip something, tried to glide like he'd seen Thrax do, but it was no good. He fell, away from Frank, away from Thrax. He landed with a splash, and immediately the burning started. Fire…his entire body was being torn apart piece by piece. He swam for the surface of the alcohol, trying to escape…

Ozzy sat up with a gasp, looking around wildly. He was in his bed- it had just been a dream. He stood, going over to the small adjoining bathroom and looked in the mirror. He was pale, his eyes wide, but he was normal. He leaned against the sink, sighing in relief.

"Ozzy?" Leah stood in the doorway, looking worried. "Are you ok?" Ozzy looked up.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine. Just a bad dream, that's all." Leah nodded. She walked over to him, placing a hand on his cheek.

"You're really warm…" she said worriedly. "Are you sure you don't want to stay home a few more days?" Ozzy placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm fine, Leah. Don't worry about it." He smiled reassuringly. "Trust me." Leah sighed.

"Ok…but if you start feeling strange…" she sighed. "Don't push yourself, ok?" Ozzy grinned.

"No problem," Ozzy said confidently. He grabbed Thrax's chain, absently wrapping it around his hand. "I'm gonna go ahead and go right now. Work the night shift." He headed out, grabbing his jacket. "Tell Drix I'll meet up with him later!"

Leah watched him go with a quiet sigh. "Always so stubborn…" she murmured. She turned, starting to tidy up the room. "Hm?" She placed a hand on the nightstand where the bracelet had been. She ran a finger along it, rubbing the black powder experimentally. "Ash?" She frowned. The chain had left a ring of ash where it had laid. She looked at the bed, dusting the sheets. A small section of the sheets were blackened, a small hole burned into it. Judging from the way Ozzy had been laying, the hole would have been right under his left hand. Leah bit her lip. Something was very wrong with Ozzy, and more importantly with that chain!

-x-X-x-

"You know what, Jones? You want this chain so bad, Big Daddy Thrax is gonna let you have it!" Thrax grinned, wrapping the chain tightly around the white blood cell's throat. He cackled as Jones struggled and gagged, trying to break free. "It looks good on you, Jones! You wear it well! It's too bad you came this far from home just to die!"

Thrax groaned quietly, getting unsteadily to his feet and looking around. He was standing on the girl's eyelash, and…His chain! Where was his chain! He noticed Jones getting to his feet close by, the chain clenched in his hand. He snarled in fury, lunging at him, only to stop short in confusion. He looked down at his claw- it wasn't…it wasn't there? He felt his body shifting, becoming less substantial. More like…well, like a cell. He looked at his hands, blue with a white membrane. "What the hell?" he hissed. He looked up at Jones, and his eyes widened in shock. It was him! In Jones' place was his own body, holding the chain triumphantly. Suddenly the whole scene was swapped. He had more important things to do.

His own body pinned him to the false eyelash, grinning maliciously. "It's too bad you won't be here to see me break my record when I take down Frank's pretty little girl…" his voice purred. The moments blurred, and suddenly he was standing, the chain clenched in his hand, watching his own body fall helplessly to the pool of alcohol below.

--

Thrax's eyes snapped open. He stood, looking around. He wasn't in the alley he had collapsed in. He walked cautiously towards the mouth of the alley, looking around. His eyes widened and he pressed himself against the wall as a pair of white blood cells walked past. How had he gotten so close to the precinct?!

"Hey, Jones?" one of the cells called, looking around. "I don't get it. He comes in and demands a case, then just runs out without waiting for an answer."

"He looked like he was in pain…" the other cell remarked, frowning. "Did you see his hand?"

"He had that virus's chain…what was up with that?" Thrax bit back a snarl of fury. So Jones did have his chain!

"I meant his other hand," the cell said. "It was burnt really bad. Hey, did you see that?" One of the flashlight beams illuminated the opposite wall of the alley. "There's something down there." Thrax's claw began to glow red hot. Those officers were asking for it.

_Don't kill them!_ Thrax frowned. What the…Why shouldn't he kill them? The voice in the back of his mind seemed to scramble for an answer. _I-I mean, if you kill them, you'll only attract suspicion. Just slip by when they're not looking._ Thrax shook his head. Great, now he was going crazy. Still, the voice had a point. He slipped deeper down into the alley, finding a side path through a hole in one of the walls. He slipped through. He didn't give a second thought to the fact that the voice sounded vaguely like Osmosis Jones.


	3. Locks

Wow, it feels so amazing to get back to writing again. I haven't touched any of my fics in months. I keep telling myself I'll work on it tomorrow, or the next day, or next week, and then I never do. I was going through my e-mail today and I was surprised to find a review on this story. They said that this fic was perfect to fuel their OJ obession, and that's when I remembered why I had written this story in the first place: I loved Osmosis Jones, and I wanted to make other people love Osmosis Jones. I wanted people to see that OJ fans can write good fiction, and I was here to provide. Thank you, Dr. JNHardy, you gave me back my motivation.

Enough of this rambling about me, please, at long last, enjoy the next chapter in Unraveling.****

**_Unraveling_**

**Chapter 3: Locks**

"Hey guys, I'm back," Ozzy called, walking into the apartment. He looked up, frowning slightly. "What is it?" Leah was standing in front of him, arms crossed.

"Osmosis Jones, what were you thinking?" she demanded. He looked confused. "You said you could handle going back to work! I just got a call saying you went in, and just left! They sent out search parties!" Ozzy held up his hands.

"I'm sorry, Leah…" he said, sounding sincere. "I should've said something, but it just sort of happened…"

"What 'just sort of happened'?" Leah asked, frowning. "We're all worried about you, Ozzy."

"Look, it's not important, ok?" Ozzy sighed. "I don't have time for this." He turned, starting to walk out. Leah grabbed his arm.

"Ozzy, wait," she sighed. "It's that chain. I don't think you should be wearing it. It could be dangerous."

Ozzy jerked his arm away. "Relax, baby. I got it covered," he assured. The beads in the chain pulsed suddenly, and Ozzy winced slightly.

_"What are you waiting for?! Shoot him!" Leah shouted, but he grabbed her, holding her firmly, placing his claw against her throat. What? No, this isn't right--_

_"If you follow me, she dies!" he snarled, in a voice that wasn't his. He took a few steps back from the police, making a running start for the huge window—_

"Ozzy!" Someone had grabbed his shoulder, shaking him firmly. "Snap out of it!"

"Wha…?" He blinked, dazed. Leah was shaking him. "What happened?" He placed a hand to his head, wincing.

"You spaced out." Leah frowned. "You can't keep avoiding this, Osmosis. You're _not_ okay."

Ozzy looked down, unable to meet her eyes. "Huh?" He looked at his hand, frowning. There was a dark red spot, beginning to spread like a leaking pen. His eyes widened, and he took a few steps back. "I just remembered something I gotta do," he said quickly, not looking at Leah. He turned and ran out the door.

"Ozzy, wait!" Leah called after him, startled. "What are…?" She trailed off, bewildered. For just a moment, she could have sworn she had seen Ozzy's eyes flash yellow.

--

He was running. He didn't know where, and he completely sure why, but he didn't stop to think about it. His hand had gone numb, but the feeling was slowly spreading to his arm; he didn't dare look to see what was happening physically. _You just gonna run, baby?_

"You got a better idea?" Ozzy hissed under his breath. That damn voice had been commenting on everything since he had woken up in that alley, and unpleasantly at that. The voice was familiar, though he couldn't place it.

_Just slow down for a minute._ Ozzy grimaced; he wasn't just going to stop- he didn't want to think about what was happening, what he had experienced back at the apartment. The voice seemed dissatisfied. _I _said_ slow down._

"Ugh!" Ozzy didn't know what was happening until he hit the ground. He winced, trying to stand up and find what had tripped him, but his legs wouldn't respond. "What the--?" His entire body was going numb, unable to move. There was a faint splash, and Ozzy looked down at the puddle he had landed in front of. His eyes, now an unnatural shade of gold, widened in shock.

His body was shifting and changing, becoming more solid; red color was slowly spreading, smothering his natural shade of blue. Purple dreadlocks framed a face that was not his, muscular arms supported a body that was not his. "No--" His protest was cut short, partly from shock at his new voice, and partly from the fact that something had frozen his throat, effectively muting him. All feeling left him, and suddenly he wasn't the one in control. The body which was no longer his stood slowly, and he felt his mouth turn up in a smirk.

"Much better," Thrax purred, adjusting his trenchcoat.

-x-X-x-

This was incredibly satisfying, and he barely had to do anything- just walk around, smirk, set the occasional object aflame. At first, Jones fought him, yelling and swearing, struggling to regain control, but he finally broke down, begging, bargaining, anything to get his body back. Thrax just laughed, running his claw across some other random object every time Jones tried to make a deal.

Unfortunately, the cell seemed to catch on. _Where are you even going, Thrax?_ he demanded, suspicious.

"Wherever I want," Thrax answered, smirking. "Not like you're gonna stop me."

_What about a plan? Some evil revenge scheme? Gonna try and get to the hypothalamus again?_Thrax sneered at his description.

"You still don't know how this works, baby. I didn't act in broad daylight before, and I'm not going to now. Wait until their guard is down, then go back."

_It won't work, Thrax! _Ozzy snapped. _Not now that you just told me everything! I'll—_

"You'll what?" Thrax asked, chuckling darkly. "Tell everyone?" He could practically see the cell's expression as his bold statement was disarmed.

_Uh…I-I'll…_He broke off, sighing in defeat. Thrax smirked.

"That's what I thought." He slicked his dreadlocks absently, and stopped abruptly. "What the-?" His chain had snagged on a protruding piece of metal. He frowned, yanking it free. The beads flickered, more brightly than usual, and Thrax winced.

_Problems, Thrax?_ Ozzy asked, smug.

"Shut up," Thrax snapped, scowling. He coiled his chain more tightly around his hand, stalking down the alley. He felt his chain snag again, and he spun around, irritated.

_You need to slow down,_ Ozzy said, his tone mocking. An invisible force pulled at his chain again, the beads glowing unnaturally. Finally, the chain slid off his hand, falling to the ground. Thrax's eyes widened, and he lunged for them—

Too late. He fell to his knees, hissing in pain. Thrax felt like his body was being eaten away by something, becoming numb, less solid. Red color melted away, revealing a blue and white membrane, his claws simply dissolving into nothing. "Jones…" he hissed, the venom dripping from the one word almost painful.

Feeling finally returned to his body, and he looked down at the chain lying on the ground in front of him. The beads pulsed dully, but nothing more. Consciousness was fleeting, and Ozzy collapsed, blanketed by Thrax's coat.

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I can assure you, the adventure is far from over. And it won't take me months to update again, I promise you that!

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